Extrasystole: Symptoms and Treatment

The rhythm of the contraction of the heart is provided by its muscles, which are grouped into knots and bundles. For example, the sinus-atrial node starts the heart rhythm, and the atrioventricular sends the impulse further - to the ventricle. Violation of the rhythm occurs quite often, and at times it becomes the first sign of a serious illness. One of the types of arrhythmia is extrasystole. Symptoms Usually manifested as follows: there is a push in the chest, followed by a feeling of cardiac fading or even a brief stop for 1-2 seconds. With this rhythm disturbance, a premature contraction occurs - the extrasystole. It does not occur in the sinus node, which is the source of the impulses, but in other parts of the cardiac muscle, in the excited myocardium. After an extraordinary contraction, the heart is not fully filled with blood, there is a certain pause, because of which it is recruited more than necessary. Then there is a strong impulse, an ejection. It is these tremors that are very perceptible to man. If the myocardium is affected, a severe extrasystole develops, the symptoms are quite specific: lack of oxygen, dizziness, weakness, acute pain in the heart.

Types of extrasystoles

Depending on the place of occurrence of extraordinary impulses, ventricular and supraventricular (supraventricular) extrasystole is determined. If such abbreviations come from the same source, they are called monotopic, if from different - polytope extrasystoles. Premature impulses can go one after another - they are called paired - or two and three in a row - volley. Frequent extrasystole is very dangerous in that the efficiency of the heart decreases. Heart failure may develop. If the extrasystoles are ventricular (coming from the ventricles of the heart), then their frequency and volleys can provoke fibrillation. Such a rhythm disturbance is called "fatal". Ventricular fibrillation is a dangerous condition. It is characterized by erratic heart activity, in which there are no effective reductions and releases. If the fibrillation lasts 5-7 minutes, it will inevitably lead to a fatal outcome.

Diagnosis and treatment

Electrocardiography can detect heart rhythm disturbances and determine the place where extrasystole occurs. Symptoms may be absent in the patient. It is very important to conduct a complete examination of the body to understand the cause of the extrasystole. After all, they appear not only because of heart disease. Extrasystoles can cause stress, nervous illness, brain trauma and tumors. Treatment in this case should be aimed at the underlying disease, and for the maintenance of a normal heart rhythm, sedatives will work. When the disease goes to a chronic stage, antiarrhythmic drugs are prescribed. This is especially true if the patient has supraventricular extrasystole, the symptoms of which give him unpleasant and painful sensations.